Lina Khan on Donald Trump

Antitrust opponent's successor (strong)

TL;DR

Lina Khan's robust antitrust agenda faced a direct threat from the incoming administration under Donald Trump.

Key Points

Makan Delrahim, then serving under Donald Trump, praised Khan's early work for its "fresh thinking on how our legal tools apply to new digital platforms."
Lina Khan was replaced as FTC Chair by an appointee of President Donald Trump in 2025 despite some bipartisan support during her tenure.
Khan, in one of her final acts before leaving the FTC in January 2025, urged state leaders to pass laws banning unfair business practices due to potential changes under the Trump administration.

Summary

Lina Khan's tenure as FTC Chair, initiated under President Biden, involved an aggressive enforcement agenda focused on curbing monopolistic power, which directly contrasted with the direction signaled by Donald Trump's incoming administration. Khan, whose academic work heavily critiqued existing antitrust law, saw her regulatory legacy, including actions against major tech firms and proposed new rules, potentially reversed by Trump's pick to lead the agency. The transition highlighted this fundamental policy conflict, as Trump tapped a commissioner to lead the FTC who pledged to end the "war on mergers" and oppose Khan's agenda.

Khan has expressed concern over the implications for independent agencies like the FTC when presidential power is asserted more directly, noting the firing of a Democratic commissioner by President Trump showcased how law enforcement could become an extension of partisan agendas. Despite this uncertainty, she noted institutional durability, as many of the antitrust lawsuits she initiated continued to be vigorously litigated by her successors, and she observed that the Trump administration was defending one of her proposed merger rules. Furthermore, in one of her final acts, Khan urged state leaders to strengthen consumer protection laws due to potential shifts in federal enforcement under the new president.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lina Khan's position on Donald Trump?

Lina Khan's position on Donald Trump is framed by the stark policy contrast between her aggressive antitrust enforcement agenda at the FTC and the stated priorities of his incoming administration. She viewed the transition to a Trump-led FTC as a direct threat to the regulatory progress she made. Khan warned that a shift in leadership could result in law enforcement becoming merely an "extension of partisan agendas" under the new president.

Did Donald Trump's administration support Lina Khan's FTC work?

Donald Trump's administration did not openly support Lina Khan's core agenda, with his successor at the FTC pledging to end the "war on mergers." However, Khan noted that some of the agency's projects, including one proposed merger rule, continued to be defended by the Trump administration after she departed. Furthermore, some Republicans, including a vice president-elect, had previously offered praise for her actions against large tech companies.

What did Lina Khan say about the risk of her legacy under Trump?

Lina Khan acknowledged the fragility of her work, noting that once a Republican majority was in place at the FTC, the durability of her legacy was uncertain. She expressed hope that her successors would not offer a "sweetheart deal" to major technology companies. Khan's final actions included bolstering state-level consumer protection authority to guard against expected federal rollbacks.